Today, Texan black metallers Hexella have released their debut album, The Ancient Gaping Mouth, via Hells Headbangers.

Hexella was conceived in Deep South Texas by Noelia Garza (vocals, lyrics, and songwriter) in 2019 as a studio project. JD De La Rosa would help bring the sounds of Hexella to life on the drums during the writing process and add solos to the already written material. JD records, mixes, and masters all the music at Negative Audio Studio thus far.

In September 2021, Hexella digitally debuted a two-song demo featuring "Blood Ejaculate Chaos" and "High On Demonic Possession" singles from its forthcoming EP, A Road In Hell. The EP was later released digitally in October 2021. Hexella's sound has continued to evolve with the addition of bassist Richard Casas. In March 2023, Hexella joined forces with Wulfskol and released a split album, Burn With Us, via Goat Throne Records, initiating Hexella's first release on vinyl.

Now, five years on from its formation, Hexella finally dropped its first full-length: The Ancient Gaping Mouth. Two years in the making, The Ancient Gaping Mouth is a succinct summation of the Hexella aesthetic. From ripping to rocking, blasting to D-beating, the power-trio covers all facets of classic 80s-rooted black metal. But whereas so much first-wave black metal hinged on blasphemy or conventional definitions of "evil", Hexella here lyrically focuses on the anti-cosmic as well as an authentically Satanic exploration of the nightside. Songwriting-wise, The Ancient Gaping Mouth excels in its robust and restless simplicity, shifting tempos and dynamics often but always with a linear, go-for-the-throat trajectory. The recording - again handled by JD at Negative Audio Studio, including mixing and mastering - is that rare breed of clarity, sharpening the demonic aggression whilst never neutering the inherent evil. The return of darkness and evil is at hand with Hexella! Link